reaper sound editor tips Asbjoern Andersen


Interest in REAPER just continues to grow – but getting started can be a bit daunting, as there are just so many options and possibilities. Luckily, here’s The REAPER blog’s Jon Tidey with his favorite tips for making the most of this popular DAW:



 

In the past few years I’ve seen a ton of professionals switching to REAPER for sound design and dialog work. Asbjoern noticed this as well and asked me to share some tips here on A Sound Effect. So here are my 5 tips for making the most of REAPER, whether you’re just getting started or want to optimize your existing workflow.

1: Fix the file management

Without some care and attention, your projects and associated files can quickly become a confusing mess. File management is vitally important, and REAPER provides complete control over auto backups, file names, peak files, and more, but none of these are set by default.
Briefly, here’s how I have mine set
• Timestamped AutoBackups and ReaPeak files saved to a specific folder (away from project audio)
• Backup frequency is 6min
• Trackname[xx] format for recorded file names.
imported files will be copied to the project folder, which is called ‘Audio Files’ or ‘Media’ in the same place as the project file.
• Temp files (old backup and peaks) cleaned if older than 7 days via nightly scheduled Automator script

For details check out this article on Reaper File management.
 

2: Optimize zooming and scrolling

When working in a DAW you have a mouse in your hand for 90% of it. The way you move around the project needs to be intuitive and effortless.
The defaults for zooming and scrolling in REAPER make absolutely no sense to me. Mouse wheel to zoom makes sense in a realtime strategy game, but you’d expect it to scroll up and down the timeline in a DAW. Luckily that’s easy to fix.
Open the action list and filter by ‘mousewheel’ to find everything the mouse wheel can be assigned to. Filter for scroll or zoom and there are even more options. Configure it like your old DAW or whatever else makes the most sense to you. I go into the details of my setup in this video.



Customizing Zoom and Scroll in REAPER


3: Use your screensets

reaper screenset
Screensets are a fast way to save and load your optimized window positions for any task you’re currently doing. This is a lot like saving window positions in Pro Tools Memory Locations, but these are global and will work for all your projects.

For example, you could have one layout with the just the arrange view and your custom toolbars, a second with the mixer fullscreen, a 3rd with your dialog fx plugins floating. In this video I show the screen sets feature in detail.
 
 



How To Use Screensets in REAPER


Need more help with REAPER? Get it here:
 
Looking for more help with REAPER, or do you want to read or share tips, ideas and resources? Visit the new REAPER channel on the Sound Community Discord server here

4: Get the extensions


What’s an extension? It’s like a plugin for REAPER that adds additional functions such as an envelope LFO generator; startup actions; and marker to bpm conversion tool.
There are two extensions that I consider essential: SWS S&M; and ReaPack.
The previously mentioned features are part of SWS, and it also includes a few hundred more actions that are useful alone or as part of custom actions.

ReaPack is a package manager for REAPER. What that means is it can search for and install package updates automatically.
color picker
A package could be LUA or EEL script, a JSFX plugin, extensions or other ReaPack compatible thing. If you have no interest in learning to script, ReaPack is a great way to start using them, just install 500+ in one-shot, then use them from the action list. Did I mention that these extensions and scripts are free?

sidebar: Extensions are a collection of functions and compiled code. Scripts are individual tools in non-compiled lua, eel or python code that use REAPER’s API. If a function needs a GUI then extension or script is the way to go.


Popular on A Sound Effect right now - article continues below:


Trending right now:

  • Step into a world of spells, mysticism, and creative power with Spells Variations Vol. 2, the follow-up to our acclaimed magical sound collection. This time, we’ve expanded the elemental and thematic range, offering 405 professionally crafted sound effects that are fully categorized and ready to use.
    Inside, you’ll find a wide variety of magical types:
    🔥 Fire
    💧 Water
    🌪️ Air
    🌍 Earth
    Electricity
    ❄️ Ice
    ☠️ Poison, Mud, Rocks
    ✨ As well as Arcane, Dark, Monstrous, and other mystical spell types.

    Each category is organized into individual folders, with multiple variations for every spell, giving you complete flexibility to choose the perfect sound for each moment, All this makes a total of 44 different spells.
    Just like in Volume 1, every sound in this collection was recorded, edited, and mastered at 192 kHz / 24-bit, ensuring top-tier quality and adaptability—perfect for professional sound designers or anyone looking for drag-and-drop magical effects for games, trailers, animations, or any audio-visual production.

    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding magical sounds [Use them again & again
    – Use the sound effects over and over, in any of your projects or productions, forever without any additional fees or royalties. Use the SFX in your game, in your trailer, in a Kickstarter campaign, wherever you need to, as much as you want to.
    – Totally mono compatibility
    – All sounds have several variations.
    – Use your imagination and feel free to use any sound for a creature other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.
    – For any questions or problems: khronstudio@gmail.com

    Features
    – 405 spell sounds
    – Format: 192KHz / 24 bits
    – Win/Mac: Yes
    – Minutes of audio provided: 22:26

    18 %
    OFF
  • Metal Core Alliance is a library created to bring colossal machines, futuristic metallic environments, and large-scale robots to life. Ideal for video games, film, or any project requiring high-impact mechanical sound design.

    In this collection, you’ll find 613 high-resolution (192 kHz / 24-bit) sounds carefully designed and organized into categories for easy creative use:
    🔹Auto Deployment Unit
    🔹Biotitan
    🔹Bionic Spike Rotator
    🔹Brutal Metal Assembly
    🔹Malfunctioning Unit
    🔹Mech (robots, mechas, and more)
    🔹Mechanical Shrinking Gear
    🔹Mechanical Shrinking Pillar
    🔹Sci-Fi Doors (locks, heavy, sliding…)
    🔹Turrets
    🔹 Whoosh (cyber, mech, robotic…)
    🔹Bonus 🎁

    Each category was created with those gigantic mechanisms we see in so many science fiction movies and video games in mind. To achieve this, we used real recordings of heavy machinery, metals, and industrial textures that add authenticity and power.

    All sounds have been recorded and edited at 192 kHz – 96 kHz / 32-24 bits, and are delivered in 192 kHz / 24 bits, allowing them to be stretched, distorted, slowed down, or manipulated without losing quality or detail.

    Metal Core Alliance is not just a library: it’s a versatile, creative, and brutally powerful sound design kit, designed to shape mechanical worlds with their own unique personality.

    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding Robots, Machines, Gears, etc…[Use them again & again]
    Use the sound effects over and over, in any of your projects or productions, forever without any additional fees or royalties. Use the SFX in your game, in your trailer, in a Kickstarter campaign, wherever you need to, as much as you want to.
    – Totally mono compatibility
    – All sounds have several variations.
    – Use your imagination and feel free to use any sound for a other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.
    – For any questions or problems: khronstudio@gmail.com

    Features
    – 613 sounds
    – Number of Audio Waves: 613
    – Format: 192KHz / 24 bits
    – Do Sound FX loop: Yes
    – Win/Mac: Yes
    – Minutes of audio provided: 25 minutes

  • NeoVolt is a carefully curated collection of over 600 electricity sounds across 60 files. Inspired by the iconic Tesla coil zap sound from Red Alert, but with so much more to offer. Perfect for any scenario featuring electricity, magic, or futuristic sci-fi elements. Contains both designed audio and source files.

     

    NeoVolt | Sound Effects | Trailer
    48 %
    OFF
  • Metal Sound Effects Moving Ship’s Steps Play Track 26 sounds included, 8 mins total $6

    Haunting, metallic creaks and moans of a ship’s steps as it shifts with the sea in Reykjavik Harbour. Recorded with a LOM Geofon this sound library contains eerie, dissonant textures and deep resonant tones, ideal for abandoned, post-apocalyptic or ghostly atmospheres.


Latest releases:

  • Bundles MASTERGUN – NSV Play Track 872 sounds included $125

    The Master Gun NSV Sound Effects library is recorded using a large array of various microphone configurations, we recorded shots from several distances in an open shooting range in the Nevada Desert.

    Raw Recordings

    Our raw shots features a total of 26 channels including 12 Stereo and 2 mono sources. All of our close and mid spaced pair Microphone options can be used as two independent mono microphones. The right side of every spaced pair will have more Mech than its left side counterpart.
    Every single gun has been recorded using the same gain settings on the same recorders, and we have level matched each microphone option between the same calibers so your 50ft microphones will be the same or similar across all libraries that share the same calibers. This makes mixing large amounts of weapons easier as the loudness and character of each gun is predictable.

    Our foley features a total of 4 audio channels with 1 Stereo and 2 mono sources, including the Sanken CO-100k which captures frequencies above 100kHz for extreme pitch shifting workflows.

    Designed Mixes

    Created from the ground up we’ve designed a collection of game-ready mixes for your next project. If you are creating your own custom weapons system and would like to use our designed mixes in your project, you can use our no-tail options which are our realistic designed mixes without our tail layers. Just drag, and drop.

    UCS compatible metadata embedded

    All files contain extensive metadata to provide you with the fastest and easiest workflow possible. Metadata can be read and processed by audio management tools. Some digital audio workstations feature an included search tool that can also read embedded metadata.

  • Swish and Flick is a sound pack featuring a collection of high-quality whooshes, designed whooshes, whoosh source, and tonal content.
    This pack features 2092 sounds across 150 .wav files exported at 192kHz/24bit. Aimed at professional sound designers and editors looking for clean, mastered, ready to use assets with plenty of variation for game audio or linear media.
    Recorded on the SD 788T with Schoeps MK 4 & 8 along with the CMD42 digital preamplifiers, as well as MKH 8040 pairs (among others), and meticulously cleaned up in iZotope RX while persevering optimal signal to noise and frequency content.
    Detailed UCS meta data is embedded.
    Thanks for taking a listen!

    20 %
    OFF
  • Bundles MASTERGUN – HK21E Play Track 1521 sounds included $60

    The Master Gun HK21E Sound Effects library is recorded using a large array of various microphone configurations, we recorded shots from several distances in an open shooting range in the Nevada Desert.

    Raw Recordings

    Our raw shots features a total of 28 channels including 13 Stereo and 2 mono sources. All of our close and mid spaced pair Microphone options can be used as two independent mono microphones. The right side of every spaced pair will have more Mech than its left side counterpart.
    Every single gun has been recorded using the same gain settings on the same recorders, and we have level matched each microphone option between the same calibers so your 50ft microphones will be the same or similar across all libraries that share the same calibers. This makes mixing large amounts of weapons easier as the loudness and character of each gun is predictable.

    Our foley features a total of 4 audio channels with 1 Stereo and 2 mono sources, including the Sanken CO-100k which captures frequencies above 100kHz for extreme pitch shifting workflows.

    Designed Mixes

    Created from the ground up we’ve designed a collection of game-ready mixes for your next project. If you are creating your own custom weapons system and would like to use our designed mixes in your project, you can use our no-tail options which are our realistic designed mixes without our tail layers. Just drag, and drop.

    UCS compatible metadata embedded

    All files contain extensive metadata to provide you with the fastest and easiest workflow possible. Metadata can be read and processed by audio management tools. Some digital audio workstations feature an included search tool that can also read embedded metadata.

  • Electricity Sound Effects The Arcane Electric Spells Play Track 622 sounds included, 78 mins total $30

    622 meticulously processed stereo electric and lightning spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.

    The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of spells. It also includes raw files for more flexibility for your projects.

    This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.

    The library is fully focused on electric, thunder and lightning spells. You will find simple one shot electric impacts, powerful high level thunder spells, magic weapon enchantments and so on. Spells such as lightning strike, electric blast, thunderbolt, magnetic field, thunder hammer, electric sword, lightning projectile, etc. are included in this library.

    THE ARCANE ELECTRIC SPELLS

    Recorded assets: Thunder, big and small adhesive tapes, inflated balloon, styrofoam, cellophane, various clothes, baseball glove, winter gloves, metal objects, aluminum foil, oven door, etc. Analog/digital synths and ultrasonic/geophone usage for more variety.

    40 %
    OFF
  • Bring the world of board games to life with Board Game Sound Effects Kit – Sounds for Digital Tabletop, Card, Dice and Match Games and Apps. It’s a carefully curated collection of interactive sound effects that are made especially for tabletop and mobile game creators, app designers, and RPG sound artists. Whether you’re designing a card or tile-laying game, word puzzle, family party game, or roller/dice-based adventure, this sound library is packed with the tactile, satisfying, and characteristic sounds you need for all your gameplay mechanics.

    •  1203 sound effects in total
    • All in 96kHz/24bit WAV + other formats
    • 700+ MB of samples
    • 19+ minutes of crystal clear HD audio
    20 %
    OFF
Need specific sound effects? Try a search below:


Some interesting scripts that you can get with ReaPack:
• Airon_Colour Swatch.lua – A nice colour picker for tracks and items
• Breeder_spk77_GlueTools.lua – provides toggles for what happens when gluing items.
• mpl_Randomize Track FX Parameters

Not an extension, but something that’s also really helpful is the VLC media player. Once installed on your system REAPER can use it as a decoder for videos and allows you to import more file formats. If you work with video you’ll need this. Be sure to get the 64-bit installer.
 

5: Be part of the community

REAPER has a friendly and generous user community. There are so many users sharing their knowledge, scripts, custom themes, effects, templates and more for free or by donation. The official REAPER forum is also where you should go for support, bug reports and pre-release testing. There are several good groups on Facebook, there’s a subReddit, and even a secret Slack team for professional users (have a guess at who you’d ask to get in to that one). If you need something, just ask! If you discover a great tip, share it!
 

A big thanks to Jon Tidey for his Reaper tips!

 

Jon Tidey is a freelance Micslinger in Vancouver and editor of The REAPER Blog. Meet him on Twitter / Facebook / Youtube
 

Please share this:


 



 
 
THE WORLD’S EASIEST WAY TO GET INDEPENDENT SOUND EFFECTS:
 
A Sound Effect gives you easy access to an absolutely huge sound effects catalog from a myriad of independent sound creators, all covered by one license agreement - a few highlights:

  • Step into a world of spells, mysticism, and creative power with Spells Variations Vol. 2, the follow-up to our acclaimed magical sound collection. This time, we’ve expanded the elemental and thematic range, offering 405 professionally crafted sound effects that are fully categorized and ready to use.
    Inside, you’ll find a wide variety of magical types:
    🔥 Fire
    💧 Water
    🌪️ Air
    🌍 Earth
    Electricity
    ❄️ Ice
    ☠️ Poison, Mud, Rocks
    ✨ As well as Arcane, Dark, Monstrous, and other mystical spell types.

    Each category is organized into individual folders, with multiple variations for every spell, giving you complete flexibility to choose the perfect sound for each moment, All this makes a total of 44 different spells.
    Just like in Volume 1, every sound in this collection was recorded, edited, and mastered at 192 kHz / 24-bit, ensuring top-tier quality and adaptability—perfect for professional sound designers or anyone looking for drag-and-drop magical effects for games, trailers, animations, or any audio-visual production.

    More about the pack
    – Intuitive file naming
    – All you’ll ever need regarding magical sounds [Use them again & again
    – Use the sound effects over and over, in any of your projects or productions, forever without any additional fees or royalties. Use the SFX in your game, in your trailer, in a Kickstarter campaign, wherever you need to, as much as you want to.
    – Totally mono compatibility
    – All sounds have several variations.
    – Use your imagination and feel free to use any sound for a creature other than the one described, remember that the world of sound is totally subjective.
    – For any questions or problems: khronstudio@gmail.com

    Features
    – 405 spell sounds
    – Format: 192KHz / 24 bits
    – Win/Mac: Yes
    – Minutes of audio provided: 22:26

    18 %
    OFF
  • NeoVolt is a carefully curated collection of over 600 electricity sounds across 60 files. Inspired by the iconic Tesla coil zap sound from Red Alert, but with so much more to offer. Perfect for any scenario featuring electricity, magic, or futuristic sci-fi elements. Contains both designed audio and source files.

     

    NeoVolt | Sound Effects | Trailer
    48 %
    OFF
  • Metal Sound Effects Moving Ship’s Steps Play Track 26 sounds included, 8 mins total $6

    Haunting, metallic creaks and moans of a ship’s steps as it shifts with the sea in Reykjavik Harbour. Recorded with a LOM Geofon this sound library contains eerie, dissonant textures and deep resonant tones, ideal for abandoned, post-apocalyptic or ghostly atmospheres.

Explore the full, unique collection here

Latest sound effects libraries:
 
  • Bundles MASTERGUN – NSV Play Track 872 sounds included $125

    The Master Gun NSV Sound Effects library is recorded using a large array of various microphone configurations, we recorded shots from several distances in an open shooting range in the Nevada Desert.

    Raw Recordings

    Our raw shots features a total of 26 channels including 12 Stereo and 2 mono sources. All of our close and mid spaced pair Microphone options can be used as two independent mono microphones. The right side of every spaced pair will have more Mech than its left side counterpart.
    Every single gun has been recorded using the same gain settings on the same recorders, and we have level matched each microphone option between the same calibers so your 50ft microphones will be the same or similar across all libraries that share the same calibers. This makes mixing large amounts of weapons easier as the loudness and character of each gun is predictable.

    Our foley features a total of 4 audio channels with 1 Stereo and 2 mono sources, including the Sanken CO-100k which captures frequencies above 100kHz for extreme pitch shifting workflows.

    Designed Mixes

    Created from the ground up we’ve designed a collection of game-ready mixes for your next project. If you are creating your own custom weapons system and would like to use our designed mixes in your project, you can use our no-tail options which are our realistic designed mixes without our tail layers. Just drag, and drop.

    UCS compatible metadata embedded

    All files contain extensive metadata to provide you with the fastest and easiest workflow possible. Metadata can be read and processed by audio management tools. Some digital audio workstations feature an included search tool that can also read embedded metadata.

  • Swish and Flick is a sound pack featuring a collection of high-quality whooshes, designed whooshes, whoosh source, and tonal content.
    This pack features 2092 sounds across 150 .wav files exported at 192kHz/24bit. Aimed at professional sound designers and editors looking for clean, mastered, ready to use assets with plenty of variation for game audio or linear media.
    Recorded on the SD 788T with Schoeps MK 4 & 8 along with the CMD42 digital preamplifiers, as well as MKH 8040 pairs (among others), and meticulously cleaned up in iZotope RX while persevering optimal signal to noise and frequency content.
    Detailed UCS meta data is embedded.
    Thanks for taking a listen!

    20 %
    OFF
  • Bundles MASTERGUN – HK21E Play Track 1521 sounds included $60

    The Master Gun HK21E Sound Effects library is recorded using a large array of various microphone configurations, we recorded shots from several distances in an open shooting range in the Nevada Desert.

    Raw Recordings

    Our raw shots features a total of 28 channels including 13 Stereo and 2 mono sources. All of our close and mid spaced pair Microphone options can be used as two independent mono microphones. The right side of every spaced pair will have more Mech than its left side counterpart.
    Every single gun has been recorded using the same gain settings on the same recorders, and we have level matched each microphone option between the same calibers so your 50ft microphones will be the same or similar across all libraries that share the same calibers. This makes mixing large amounts of weapons easier as the loudness and character of each gun is predictable.

    Our foley features a total of 4 audio channels with 1 Stereo and 2 mono sources, including the Sanken CO-100k which captures frequencies above 100kHz for extreme pitch shifting workflows.

    Designed Mixes

    Created from the ground up we’ve designed a collection of game-ready mixes for your next project. If you are creating your own custom weapons system and would like to use our designed mixes in your project, you can use our no-tail options which are our realistic designed mixes without our tail layers. Just drag, and drop.

    UCS compatible metadata embedded

    All files contain extensive metadata to provide you with the fastest and easiest workflow possible. Metadata can be read and processed by audio management tools. Some digital audio workstations feature an included search tool that can also read embedded metadata.

  • Electricity Sound Effects The Arcane Electric Spells Play Track 622 sounds included, 78 mins total $30

    622 meticulously processed stereo electric and lightning spells sound effects recorded in 96 khz and 24 bits for high audio definition.

    The collection comes with hundreds of variations, more than 1 hour of content and many different type of spells. It also includes raw files for more flexibility for your projects.

    This collection is perfect for any films, video games or trailers.

    The library is fully focused on electric, thunder and lightning spells. You will find simple one shot electric impacts, powerful high level thunder spells, magic weapon enchantments and so on. Spells such as lightning strike, electric blast, thunderbolt, magnetic field, thunder hammer, electric sword, lightning projectile, etc. are included in this library.

    THE ARCANE ELECTRIC SPELLS

    Recorded assets: Thunder, big and small adhesive tapes, inflated balloon, styrofoam, cellophane, various clothes, baseball glove, winter gloves, metal objects, aluminum foil, oven door, etc. Analog/digital synths and ultrasonic/geophone usage for more variety.

    40 %
    OFF
  • Bring the world of board games to life with Board Game Sound Effects Kit – Sounds for Digital Tabletop, Card, Dice and Match Games and Apps. It’s a carefully curated collection of interactive sound effects that are made especially for tabletop and mobile game creators, app designers, and RPG sound artists. Whether you’re designing a card or tile-laying game, word puzzle, family party game, or roller/dice-based adventure, this sound library is packed with the tactile, satisfying, and characteristic sounds you need for all your gameplay mechanics.

    •  1203 sound effects in total
    • All in 96kHz/24bit WAV + other formats
    • 700+ MB of samples
    • 19+ minutes of crystal clear HD audio
    20 %
    OFF

   

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